Sunday, June 30, 2013

Cross country trip with an 8 month old

I am writing this post from my IPhone. We are wrapping up a ten day trip to Michigan with a 2 night stop in Nashville. (Nashville is my favorite new town, by the way.)

I was nervous on how things would go. We have an 8 month old. She is totally 100% fantastic 99% of the time. She really did great--and I think she might be starting to teethe. I saw a little white spot in the front. It hasn't come through yet.

Before the trip, I spent about $50 on new toys and snacks for the trip. However, it turns out I could have just given her empty water bottles and she would have been just as entertained.

One day, after driving about 8 hours, with one more to go, I did have to google a YouTube episode of Sesame Street.

Oh, and I sit in the back seat with her. We tried to let her go solo in the back seat, but she needs to hold someone's hand when she feels lonely.

She did great in the hotels, too. She would get fussy from time to time, but we got her to sleep without  incident. Granted she was in the middle of hubby and I on a king size bed, but I had visions of sleepless nights. Funny, the first night on the road we stayed in a Marriott in Little Rock, Arkansas. (Thank you Priceline.) It was a huge king size bed with many fluffy pillows. We put her in middle of the bed and she sprawled out like a queen.

So do I recommend road trips with all babies? Maybe if you are willing to invest in earplugs and don't mind hearing a baby cry..or you could sit in the backseat.

Just make sure you have room in your car to change a diaper. So many restaurants and truck stops don't have changing tables or if they do--they are pretty sketchy.

Thursday, June 20, 2013

I can't handle two babies....(even to babysit)

Summer is in full swing, which means it is time for the teachers in our district to attend obligatory professional development.

I have been to one day and my sister (who is also a teacher) has been to five days. Since she has a three month old and my mom is recovering from shoulder surgery, I have been the primary caregiver.
I cannot handle two babies. I am not cut out for it.
Kedzie is 8 months old and Leila (my niece) is 3 months old.
Today I was trying to prepare for a 11 day road trip—trying to pack and get all of our stuff around, plus watch the two girls—PLUS clean my house. And I was watching two babies.
This is how the five days have gone….One would start crying as soon as the other stopped. They would both cry at the same time. They would both be hungry at the same time. As my sister warned me, they have bottle envy. Oh they do. One would see the other’s bottle and burst into tears. But, they would not nap at the same time.
Poor Leila spent a lot of time in the swing. Kedzie may or may not have been playing with a Wii remote.
I don’t know how people with multiples stay sane.
I might need a drink.
But, my house is finally clean. And, I was able to shower by the time my husband made it home from work.

Both of the babies are also alive.
That is positive.

Saturday, June 1, 2013

My advice to my students from this year...what I won't tell them, but should

Dear students of Lab 199,

This year has not been easy. For many of you, it was your first year of middle school. You had to learn a lot about following middle school rules. You had 7 teachers, some nicer than others. I hope when you look back at my class, you learned something. I hope you enjoyed some of the projects. I hope you made some new friends.

I enjoyed watching you work together and solve different problems.

I just don't feel like I have been myself this year. Granted, I had a baby in October--but when I came back and realized some of you had lost your minds, we had to go back to the basics. Sitting down at our computers when we type, coming into Lab 199 quietly, not horseplaying, and also not arguing with your teacher when she asks you to do something--those are simple things to do--those things also keep your teacher (me) happy. I really don't like to be mean. It makes me sad to raise my voice.

And to my quiet, sweet students who always do the right thing--please don't change. Your teachers appreciate you for following directions and working hard--all the time. We don't forget that.

To all of you, thank you for letting me into your lives. I have been so impressed with your E-Portfolio Reflections. I am sad I waited until the last month to really learn about your hopes and your dreams.  (Would you have shared them with me in August? Maybe we needed our own time to warm up to each other?)

Your career ideas have been so interesting--reading about where you want to go and your plans for your lives. Don't loose sight of those dreams. Let them guide you when things get tough.

Middle school is not the greatest, and high school is not the end of the world. College (if you choose to go) is awesome and having a baby after you are older (like 30ish) is a better idea than if you had one when you were still in high school. Love that baby. PLEASE, take better care of him or her than you did with your "flour babies" in 8th grade.

You may not know what you want to be when you are in 6th grade, you may not know what you want to be when you are 30ish--but if you are happy--if you smile at least a few times a day--you will be ok.

At some point in your life, move somewhere away from the place you were born. Don't be afraid to take a chance. You will fail. You will also figure it out, and when you do it is the most amazing feeling ever.

Be nice. You never know when you might need a job reference or a letter of recomendation.

Have a good summer. Watch out for cars.

I will see you in August. 70% of you will be in my class again next year--because you chose to deal with me again and sign up for year two. Thank you for that.

Let's make next year even better.

Sincerely,

Your teacher

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